A Murdog Mystery
"A Murdog Mystery '" is the eleventh episode of Season Ten and the one hundred forty-third of the series. It first aired on January 16, 2016. Summary As Inspector Brackenreid is bound for Panama with James Pendrick, Murdoch is appointed Acting Inspector until Brackenreid's return, telling the constables to stay with calling him ‘Detective’. Accordingly, he plans some organizational changes until Detective Watts, who was asked to vacate Station House No. 1, has happily applied for the now open detective space at Station House No. 4., but before Murdoch can respond, Higgins interrupts him, "''Excuse me, sir, there's been a murder." While investigating the death of a championship show dog, Murdoch discovers a hidden affection for a crime fighting canine named Pistachio who takes the lead. Character Revelations * Murdoch is appointed Acting Inspector due to Brackenreid's absence, but keeps his own office. * Julia has always wanted a dog and she can whistle. * '''Pistachio is a female labrador retriever. Continuity * Murdoch has received a postcard via the Port of Havana from Inspector Brackenreid, who is still on the quest with Pendrick (ep.1009), stating that they are bound for Panama. * First introduced in [[Concocting A Killer|''Concocting A Killer]], ''Detective Watts returns – to work out of Station House No. 4; he takes the Inspector's office and asks Constable Jackson to take his notes. * Consistent with his proclivity to know about 'the who's who', George informs the Acting Inspector about the members of the Toronto Canine Competitive Society and its dog show competition. * Ruth Newsome, sister to the late Roger Newsome of the Mimico Newsomes, returns with her dog Roger; she was first introduced in [[Weekend at Murdoch's|''Weekend at Murdoch's]]. * An encounter at the '''Tipsy Ferret' introduces the Historian from the new web series Murdoch Mysteries: [http://www.cbc.ca/murdochmysteries/videos/beyond-time/ Beyond Time]. Historical References * The Historian foretells Newfoundland joining the Confederation to Crabtree and Higgins and "...Canada's turning one hundred and fifty?" * The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was first held on May 8, 1877, making it the second-longest continuously held sporting event in the United States behind only the Kentucky Derby, which was first held in 1875. * The second time the CN Tower "appears"; the first was in [[Murdoch and the Cloud of Doom|''Murdoch and the Cloud of Doom]]. * ''What Are Little Boys Made Of? is a popular nursery rhyme dating from the early 19th century with the stanza "Sugar and spice / And everything nice [or "all things nice"]", with numerous popular culture usage to this date. Trivia * Special Guest Alan Doyle, past headman of the band Great Big Sea and writer on Republic of Doyle, plays a time-traveling Historian who has lost his travel journal and is from Beyond Time. * Yannick Bisson ( William Murdoch) has a affection for canines himself; His bulldog, Duke, made a cameo in Winston's Lost Night. * The MM Art Department had to build Horace's deck chair so it could hold him. * The Frizzel yard scene is the same location used in [[Twentieth Century Murdoch|''20th Century Murdoch]] for Murdoch's fantasy: showing his "son" the principles of the '''hot air balloon' with Julia. * Canadian Kennel Gazette is a real publication who gave MM Art Dept. access to their archives to make copies. * The Dog Show was filmed at the Scottish Rite Club (Theatre) in Hamilton. * This is the sixth episode in Season 10 in which Thomas Craig (Thomas Brackenreid) does not appear. Errors Cast Main Cast Yannick Bisson as Detective William Murdoch Hélène Joy as Dr. Julia Ogden Thomas Craig as Inspector Thomas Brackenreid Jonny Harris as Constable George Crabtree Recurring Cast Lachlan Murdoch as Constable Henry Higgins Mouna Traoré as Rebecca James Kristian Bruun as Constable Jackson Daniel Maslany as Detective Watts Siobhan Murphy as Ruth Newsome Guest Cast Alan Doyle as Historian Joy Tanner as Edith Frizzel Rick Miller as Beaumont Stoddard James Kall as Michael Dubois Darryl Hinds as Sebastien Melrose Justin Colette as Buck Christopher Mark Burgess as Priest Colin Price as Mr. Harding Rob Baker as Announcer Nug Nahrgang as Bartender Uncredited Cast Gallery 1011 A Murdog Mystery.PNG